This is 6 Minute English with me, Neil.

And joining me today is Sam.

Sam: Hello.

Neil: So, Sam, are you feeling excited

about Christmas?

Sam: Of course! Time with friends and

family, eating lots, partying, presents –

and generally indulging – what’s not to like?

Neil: Indulging – allowing yourself to have

perhaps too much of something you

enjoy. Well, it only happens once a year,

Sam. But for those of us who do celebrate

Christmas, it comes at a price.

Sam: Yes, well buying all those presents

can be expensive.

Neil: Not just that, Sam. I mean it comes

at a cost to the environment, as we’ll

explain shortly.

But let’s start off with a quiz question

for you to answer. In 2010, a Christmas

tree in Belgium was awarded the world

record for having the most lights on it –

but do you know how many? Were there…

a) 19,672, b) 94,672 or c) 194,672.

What do you think, Sam?

Sam: Well, I don’t think you could fit 194, 673

lights on a Christmas tree, so I’ll say a) 19,672.

Neil: OK. Well, we’ll find out how ‘bright’

you are at the end of the programme!

Of course, Christmas trees are the

ultimate Christmas decoration. It’s part of

the Christmas tradition and millions are

bought around the world each year.

But what impact do Christmas trees - real

and artificial - have on the environment?

Sam: Well before we answer that, let’s

hear from some of the BBC Learning English

team who chose to have a real Christmas

tree in their home and find out why…

Phil: Well, you've got the smell of it.

You've got the look of it. But more

importantly, it’s Christmas trees are

supposed to be symbolic, aren't they?

So the idea of something that stays green

all year, so bringing that into your house it,

it means something.

Jiaying: I just think a real Christmas tree

is more festive and more Christmassy.

And it's just the tradition to get a real

Christmas tree, that's all.

Roy: There’s something more beautiful

about the nature, the smell, the feel, the

look of the tree and I like it to be sustainable.

So, as long as I get my tree from a person

that promises to grow two or three in its

place, then I'm really, really happy.

Neil: Yes, I agree – you can’t beat having a

real Christmas tree. And as Phil said, it’s

symbolic – it represents something important

– and here a Christmas tree is the symbol

of Christmas.

Sam: And as Jiaying mentioned, it’s a

tradition – something that’s done regularly

and has become the expected thing to do

– and I’d agree it makes things more festive

– a word to describe the joyful feeling you

get when celebrating something like Christmas.

Neil: But of course all these trees are

often thrown away, which is wasteful.

That's why Roy mentioned his tree being

sustainable – which means

they can continue to be grown and cut

down over a longer period so it’s less

harmful to the environment.

Sam: Well, an alternative to a real

Christmas tree is a fake or artificial one,

which is what Feifei from our team has in

her house. What are the reasons why?

Feifei: We have a plastic Christmas tree,

which we've had for about nine years. So

it's plastic so you can re-use it every year

and it's more economical, and we don't

have to keep buying new trees.

Neil: So Feifei’s fake tree is made of

plastic – so that’s not great for recycling

– but the good thing is she uses it year

after year which makes it economical –

which means it doesn’t cost a lot of

money, it’s good value.

Sam: Ah, but even Feifei admits it doesn’t

have the smell and feel of a real tree. It’s

a dilemma isn’t it, Neil?

Neil: Yes – what’s best for us and what’s

best for the environment? The BBC’s

Reality Check programme found that real

trees take about 12 years to grow and as

they do, they absorb carbon from the

atmosphere and nitrogen from the soil –

so a good thing.

Sam: But when it’s chopped down it starts

to release emissions back into the

atmosphere – especially if you have to

transport it to your home. And when

Christmas is over, if it ends up in landfill,

the tree’s carbon footprint will be higher.

Neil: But its carbon footprint will be

lowered if it’s recycled or composted –

that’s the process of allowing it to decay

and then adding it to the ground to

improve soil quality.

A fake tree on the other hand is usually

imported, and can’t usually be recycled

but, as Feifei mentioned, it can be re-used.

But without any type of Christmas tree,

where would we put all those lights I

mentioned earlier, Sam? I asked you: In

2010, a Christmas tree in Belgium was

awarded the world record for having the

most lights on it – but did you know how

many? What do you say, Sam?

Sam: I think I said 19,672.

Neil: Oh dear, not very bright I’m afraid! There

were in fact 194, 672!

Sam: Wow – think of the electricity that

must have used!

Neil: Indeed. Well let’s enlighten everyone

with some of the vocabulary we’ve

discussed today.

Sam: OK, well we started talking about

'indulging' – that means allowing yourself

to have perhaps too much of something

you enjoy.

Neil: When something is 'symbolic', it

represents something important. And the

word 'festive' describes the joyful feeling

you get when celebrating something like

Christmas.

Sam: Like the festive jumper you are

wearing today, Neil – very jolly!

OK, next we mentioned

'sustainable' – which means the ability to

do something over a long period of time

without harming the environment.

Neil: 'Economical' describes doing

something that doesn’t cost a lot of

money, it’s good value.

Sam: And when something is 'composted',

it is allowed to decay – and it turns into

compost which can be added back into

the soil to improve its quality.

Neil: Thank you, Sam. And that brings us

to the end of 6 Minute English for now. It

just leaves us to wish you a very happy

Christmas. Goodbye.

Sam: Goodbye.